Stage 1 : 33KThe first 13K of the stage was on the flat. The ground was uneven but firm and I was feeling fine. In the distance were towering sand dunes that shimmered like silk; they turned out to be the next part of the route and stunning though
Stage 2: 38KThe sun usually rises here just before 6am but there was no sunrise this morning. We woke to a sandstorm, just what we didn't need to kick off a 38K stage. I'm sharing a tent with Jay Batchen, who has done the race eight or so times: he
. The first 12K were relatively flat, albeit stony; then we came to the dunes and stayed on them for most of the day. I actually managed some running today but I'm still only really keeping up with the walkers who aren't stopping at every checkpoint. You can
At just 17.5K, the final stage of the 26th Marathon des Sables was the shortest by far but still proved to be challenging. It was another hot day - although once the temperature rises above 40C it's hard to differentiate between simply hot
Stage 4: 82KI made it! Everyone says that if you can get through the long stage you'll finish the race. I'm happy to report that at around 1.30 today (Thursday) I hobbled across the finish line after 82K, not quite last but with not too many people
with the orchestra, so we've had a concert, eaten the last of the emergency peanut M&Ms and used all the stove fuel for cups of tea. Tomorrow we have 17K to complete the race. It sounds like a tiny distance compared with what we've faced every day up to now, but my
years and have actually taken on the 4-day Challenge before, in 2009. But whereas back then I arrived in Cyprus bursting with enthusiasm and fresh from a 10K PB and my first ever half-marathon, things are a little different this time. After damaging a
for the third consecutive year in 2010 completing the total distance in 19:55:08, has won four MdS titles. The most successful British competitor is double Olympic gold medalist James Cracknell who finished 12th in 2010. You may have seen the documentary aired
heavy in my legs. If that wasn't the perfect finish to my Cyprus Challenge, a clanging sign of how much I can get back out of the training I put in - and motivation to keep running - I don't know what is.Time: 1:11:59Pace: 11:41/milePosition: 339/343
last time, a total shock to the system for someone used to flat road races. This time, I'm slower - but wiser.Time: 37:36Pace: 10:07 m/mPosition: 331/365
